Somalia secures seat on East African Community Court
The appointment was approved during the 25th Summit of EAC Heads of State held in Arusha, Tanzania, where Judge Abdiwahid formally took the oath of office before regional leaders.
Mogadishu (Somali Report) - Leaders of the East African Community (EAC) have sworn in Somali jurist Abdiwahid Warsame Abdullahi as a judge in the First Instance Division of the East African Community Court of Justice (EACJ), marking a significant milestone for Somalia’s participation in regional institutions.
The appointment was approved during the 25th Summit of EAC Heads of State held in Arusha, Tanzania, where Judge Abdiwahid formally took the oath of office before regional leaders.
Somalia’s ambassador to Tanzania, Ilyas Ali Hassan, welcomed the decision and described it as an important moment for both Somalia and the wider East African region.
“I extend my warmest congratulations to Judge Abdiwahid Warsame Abdullahi on his appointment as a judge of the First Instance Division of the East African Community Court of Justice, approved today by the 25th Summit of the Heads of State,” Hassan said in a statement.
The appointment is seen as a symbolic and practical step in strengthening Somalia’s role within the regional bloc, particularly as the country works to deepen political, economic and legal cooperation with its East African neighbours.
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Before joining the regional court, Judge Abdiwahid served as a state prosecutor at the Banadir Regional Court in Mogadishu, where he played a role in Somalia’s domestic judicial system.
His legal career also includes experience in the United States, where he worked as a case reviewer and legal counsel in the prosecution division of the Columbus City Attorney’s Office in Columbus, Ohio.
Judge Abdiwahid holds a Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree in comparative and constitutional law from Ohio State University, a qualification that legal observers say strengthens Somalia’s representation in the regional court.
Somalia officially joined the East African Community in 2023, becoming the bloc’s eighth member state alongside Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Headquartered in Arusha, the East African Community Court of Justice serves as the judicial arm of the bloc, handling disputes related to the interpretation and application of the EAC Treaty and its legal framework.
The swearing-in of a Somali judge to the court is widely viewed as a sign that Somalia is steadily embedding itself within the institutional architecture of East Africa’s regional integration project.
About the Author
Osman Hassan is a Senior Editor at the Somali Report based in Nairobi with over 15 years of experience in journalism. He has worked with local and international media outlets in Somalia and is an award-winning journalist. His reporting focuses on politics, security, and regional affairs in the Horn of Africa.